BC Business
President
AGE: 29
COMPANY: Urban Cultivator Inc.
“We found that with our product, if people weren’t able to go locally to a store, then it was difficult for them to make a connection”
The Story: As Eric Sloan tells it, the road to success started at age 18, when he found himself managing people “significantly older than me” during a two-year stint at a Chilliwack Boston Pizza. Today, he’s president of Surrey-based Urban Cultivator, a manufacturer of indoor automated growing appliances for herbs, microgreens, vegetables and flowers. The appliances, which come in both residential (dishwasher size) and commercial size, are pre-programmed with optimal growing cycles. Light, air and watering are all automated. They’re sold online and in stores across Canada and around the world, counting Martha Stewart among its happy customers (she has two of Sloan’s products). Urban Cultivator, says Sloan, is targeting the consumer with limited space but a desire for healthy food: “We found that with our product, if people weren’t able to go locally to a store, then it was difficult for them to make a connection.”
Markers of Success: Urban Cultivator’s revenues grew 410 per cent over the past two years, according to Sloan. The company now has 33 employees based in Vancouver and Surrey and plans to hire 12 more in 2015. —Alix Drabek
Meet Eric Sloan and the rest of the 2015 30 Under 30 winners at this year’s celebration event!